Yesterday I wrote an entry that was meant to be a general commentary on the books I read and enjoy. It was fun to write, and I hoped that it might encourage some visitors to check out a few of my favorite authors and titles.
Instead, the entire (lengthy) response in the comment section has focused on one short item from the entry: the fact that I listed the Bible as a book I wish had never been written. This response was not my intention, and, whether or not I should have seen it coming, it’s taken me entirely by surprise.
Ben tagged me! And a fun game of tag it is, too. It’s my turn to address the following list of book-related categories. At the end, I’ll tag some people to go next.
I’ll preface this by saying that although we own hundreds of books (maybe thousands — they line our living room, fill our nightstands, and overflow from boxes in the basement), and I love having them for reference and occasional brief forays, I’m basically pretty limited in my reading preferences. I’ll go through waves of reading one particular author or genre (see “A Book That I’m Currently Reading”), but unless something fairly specific sets me off on a new road (a recommendation from a friend, for example, or a profile in The New Yorker), it’s hard to get me to try something new. For example, I doubt very much that you could ever convince me to read popular fiction. I don’t like much fiction at all — unless it’s written by a very small group of authors whom I adore. I much prefer nonfiction, on any of a variety of subjects.
I love movies. I watch hardly any TV — in fact, I’m having trouble remembering the last TV series show I sat and watched (we don’t even have cable). But I love movies, and Netflix is wonderful.
Because I love movies, and I love talking about movies, I’ve added a movies! page to this blog. It will be a running diary of the films I watch, with titles, brief comments, and a rating from 1 to 5 cookies. (Hey, I love to bake, so cookies seemed like a logical scale.)
The page currently lists most of the the movies I’ve watched in September. I’ll update it regularly; so, if you’re interested, check it out from time to time.
Saturday my band performed at St. Meinrad Archabbey, a lovely Benedictine campus. It’s located in a small Indiana town but has a very large and beautiful cathedral, built more than 100 years ago.
While we were doing our sound check, my husband and 11-year-old son went for a walk around the grounds. My son was fascinated by the orderly and consistent rows of small stone crosses in the cemetery, by the statues of saints to be found near all the buildings, and by the glowing gold leaf that covered the top spires of the cathedral. They went inside, and he told me later about the stained glass, the high ceilings, the statue of Mary and baby Jesus, and the hanging candles. “But then,” he said, “I turned around, and you won’t believe what was hanging on the wall.”
Saturday night I was onstage with Guilderoy Byrne, performing in front of 300+ attentive, appreciative people. My whole life, I’ve gone to concerts, big and small, and wished it was me up there. And now I am up there.
I remember that one day during college, when I was about 20, I suddenly had a vivid realization that I was a grown-up. On Saturday, up on the stage, I had a vivid realization that I now qualify as a professional musician. I’m playing with incredibly talented individuals and being heard by lots of people in a wide variety of venues. We’re even contemplating making a CD.
I can’t quite believe something I always wanted so much is really happening.
I don’t talk a lot. It probably has something to do with being an introvert. In any case, I can happily go for long stretches without saying a word. With that … um … said, when I do talk, I generally have something that I want to say. I’m not just talking to hear noise in the air. And I want to be listened to.
Acclaimed director Robert Greenwald (Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price, Outfoxed, and Uncovered) takes you inside the lives of soldiers, truck drivers, widows and children who have been changed forever as a result of profiteering in the reconstruction of Iraq. Iraq for Sale uncovers the connections between private corporations making a killing in Iraq and the decision makers who allow them to do so.
We have two sinks in our master bathroom. My husband’s sink drains free and clear. My sink drain gradually gets slower and slower until water percolates down rather than flowing. Why? Because in addition to my using the sink, both of my children often come into our bathroom in the morning and work on their hair. What with the 8 or 10 hair products my daughter and I use, plus my son trying new styles, and all of us washing stray hair off our hands, the drain doesn’t stand a chance. Then, this weekend, my son trimmed his own bangs and rinsed the hair away. The drain announced that its functionality was going on vacation.
I don’t mean to sound like an infomercial, but I know The Answer to clogged drains: a long, skinny, spiny piece of plastic called the Zip-It.
